Wallens Ridge Report Is Overdue

January 22, 2001

Earlier this month, members of the state's Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities failed to offer any insights into their finding during a visit to the controversial Wallens Ridge prison in Virginia. Of the 484 Connecticut inmates shipped there two years ago, two have died under questionable circumstances. Others have accused the guards of abuse, neglect and racial taunts.

These are serious allegations and point to possible violations of Connecticut's anti-discrimination laws. State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has concluded that the commission can force the inmates' repatriation if it can prove the existence of discriminatory practices in Virginia prisons.

Last October, a commission delegation made a field trip to Wallens Ridge. But rather than disclose its findings, the commission has maintained silence. In November, two commissioners said they were extremely concerned about what they found in the prison, yet they refused to elaborate. In fact, the human rights panel indicated that no details would be released before the commission's Jan. 11 meeting.

The commission failed to keep its word. Chairwoman Amalia Vazquez Bzdyra said the delay was due, in part, to the absence of Vivian Blackford, one of two commissioners who visited the Virginia prison. Ms. Blackford was out of the country. The commission also contends that it is waiting for additional information from the state Department of Correction.

These are vague excuses. To suggest that one member's trip abroad is enough to ground the commission's operations is to stretch credulity. Hadn't Ms. Blackford submitted a report on her findings? Why does she have to be present before her report is aired? Why has it taken the Department of Correction so long to submit the information that the commission requested?

The commission's duty is to tell the public whether the allegations of discrimination are sustained by the evidence, or mostly made up by inmates. That duty must be discharged during the commission's meeting next month.

Meanwhile, relatives of inmates as well as prisoner advocates were informed late last week that an unspecified number of prisoners will soon be moved from Wallens Ridge to the lower-security Greensville Correctional Center in Garratt, Va. Greensville, which already holds 195 Connecticut inmates, has a more diverse staff.

Despite this commendable move, the human rights panel should still disclose what it discovered at Wallens Ridge. Should its findings be adverse, it must set off the process of getting all Connecticut inmates home or into facilities like Greensville.